Space to Ground: Science Touchdown!: 02/03/2017

"HOUSTON, STATION ON SPACE TO GROUND."
WELCOME TO SPACE TO GROUND, I'M DAN HUOT.
IT FELT LIKE A TWO MINUTE DRILL ON STATION THIS WEEK
WITH THE SCIENCE COMING FAST AND FURIOUS.
PEGGY WHITSON WORKED WITH THE JAPANESE AIRLOCK
FOR SOME UPCOMING ROBOTICS THAT WILL CLEAR SPACE
ON THE EXPOSED FACILITY
FOR A NEW ULTRA-HIGH-DEFINITION CAMERA PAYLOAD THAT WILL BE USED
FOR EARTH OBSERVATIONS.
SHE ALSO SPENT TIME OVER IN THE MICROGRAVITY SCIENCE GLOVEBOX
SWAPPING OUT GEAR FOR THE PACKED BED REACTOR EXPERIMENT
WHICH STUDIES TECHNOLOGY USED IN WATER RECOVERY SYSTEMS,
FUEL CELLS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT ON THE STATION.
AND ON THURSDAY, WHITSON OPENED THE HATCH TO BEAM
TO INSTALL MORE SENSORS AND PERFORM ANOTHER MODAL TEST,
WHICH LITERALLY HAS THE ASTRONAUT BANG ON THE WALLS
WITH THEIR FIST TO TEST HOW BEAM REACTS TO IMPACTS
AND ITS ABILITY TO MINIMIZE VIBRATIONS.
MEANWHILE, THOMAS PESQUET BROKE OUT THE HAPTICS-2 PAYLOAD
WHICH ALLOWS THE ASTRONAUTS TO ACTUALLY CONTROL A ROBOT BACK
ON EARTH, A REALLY COOL DEMO
OF WHAT FUTURE EXPLORERS COULD BE DOING ON MARS.
HE ALSO SPUN AROUND FOR THE SPHERES SLOSH EXPERIMENT,
WHICH STUDIES HOW LIQUIDS MOVE AROUND IN MICROGRAVITY,
WHICH IMPACTS EVERYTHING
FROM HOW THE ASTRONAUTS GET THEIR MORNING COFFEE
TO HOW ROCKET FUEL GETS PUMPED TO ENGINES IN SPACE.
PESQUET ALSO DONNED THE BRAND NEW SKINSUIT,
WHICH SQUEEZES THE BODY FROM THE SHOULDERS TO THE FEET
TO MIMIC THE FEELING OF GRAVITY,
POTENTIALLY LIGHTENING THE DISCOMFORT SOME CREW EXPERIENCE
WHEN ADAPTING TO MICROGRAVITY.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A SUPER BOWL AND THE CREW
ON STATION IS GEARING UP FOR THE BIG GAME.
PARTICIPANTS IN A NASA SOCIAL
AT SPACE CENTER HOUSTON HAD A CHANCE TO TALK
TO EXPEDITION 50 COMMANDER SHANE KIMBROUGH
AND FLIGHT ENGINEER PEGGY WHITSON, AND WONDERED
IF THEY'D GET A SPECIAL VIEW OF THE BIG GAME.
" WELL, I WISH WE COULD PARK IT ABOVE THE STADIUM AND JUST KIND
OF WATCH FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT.
WE'RE GOING TO BE MOVING
AT 17,500 MILES AN HOUR WHETHER WE WANT TO OR NOT.
BUT WE WILL HAVE THE GAME LIVE UP HERE SO WE GET TO WATCH IT."
GO LEARN ABOUT SOME INTERESTING THINGS SPACEFLIGHT
AND FOOTBALL HAVE IN COMMON AT NASA.GOV/FOOTBALL.
KEEP SENDING YOUR QUESTIONS USING THE HASHTAG
SPACE-TO-GROUND, WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.

Space to Ground: Science Touchdown!: 02/03/2017

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